News and Notes From the General Service Office of A.A.fi VOL. 34, NO. 4/AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 1988

Have You Thought About Anonymity Lately? A recent rash of anonymity breaks at the public level has brought about the formation of a special subcom-mittee of the trustees’ Public Information Committee. This subcommittee has been given an interesting and unusual assignment.

As one member of the fledgling group commented at the initial gathering: "We’ll be looking for a way to remind all A.A. members everywhere of something most of us already know (but seldom talk about) - that the practice of anonymity is just as fulfilling and exciting to the sober alcoholic as sobriety itselfi."

Starting its work in April of this year the subcommit-tee is looking at the various ways in which anonymity breaks are made and exploring means by which these breaks, both purposeful (if they are) and accidental (which a majority of them could be) might be avoided.

Also, totally unlike most concerted efforts to deal with the subject of anonymity in the past, the aim of this effort is not the media or any professional group or individual outside the Fellowship; it is the member-ship of A.A. This time the assignment is to look with love at the gift of anonymity and to appeal to A.A. members everywhere for help in continuing the protec-tion of its promise and power.

As the committee approached the problem, several members began to recall incidents in which they them-selves were faced with situations where their anonymity could have been broken or almost was but wasn’t because they suddenly realized what they were doing, or were about to do.

One member, for instance, told of his association with a university where he was part of an advisory board which put together and helped maintain a new course on the university curriculum the study and treatment of alcoholism.

"When the course was accredited," this committee member reported, "a pamphlet on the subject was to be printed and my name was to be included as a member of the advisory board. A lady from the univer-sity phoned to ask for my title meaning job title of course.

"Sadly, I had just been let go that week but trying to be helpful to the lady and the university I gave my A.A. offices as substitutes all of which seemed to be quite satisfactory to the university and to me.

"For a minute or two after I hung up," the committee member continued, "I had an odd feeling that there was something ’not quite right’ with what I’d just done. Then it came to me! I called the lady back and told her she couldn’t use the titles I’d just given her because that would be breaking my anonymity at the public level. It was okay for her to know my A.A. affiliations but it shouldn’t appear in a pamphlet available to the public. Her response was: ’I knew I’d be hearing from you in a few minutes. Those A.A. titles didn’t sound right to me either.’

Thus, one A.A. member learned that if we don’t keep the idea and purpose and value of anonymity in mind at all times any of us can suffer an anonymity slip.

Among other anonymity experiences shared around the room was a most unusual one concerning an article on women and alcoholism in a widely-circulated family magazine. The woman sharing the experience had been asked by the General Service Office to be interviewed for the article. She readily agreed, adding, "in fact I was privately delighted to be selected for this important task."

As she went on to relate, out of respect for her

Box 4-5-9 is published bimonthly by the General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous, 408 Park Avenue South, New York, N.Y., ' Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1988.

Mail address: P.O. Box 459, Grand Central Station New York, NY 10163

Subscriptions: Individual, $1.50 per year; group, $3.50 for each unit of 10 per year. Check made payable to A.A.W.S., Inc. - should accompany order.

personal anonymity, the magazine writer changed the woman’s name and age and vital statistics; so when the story appeared "I had a different name (I was called Ruth) and age (it listed me as 53) and length of sobriety (somewhat shorter than for real) - in fact, everything about me in the article was different, everything except my story of despair and liberation which was all there in vivid and accurate detail."

There was an interesting twist to this experience as the committee member added, "not long after the article appeared I received a phone call from a woman who had heard me speak several times and in spite of the altered statistics in the piece - false name, older age, shorter length of sobriety - just had to ask ’was that your story?’ No question about it; she knew who had been interviewed.

"About a month later," she continued, "a letter came to G.S.O. and was forwarded to me from a woman in Canada who wrote that her name, too, is Ruth and that she is also 53 and she wanted to thank the 53-year-old Ruth in the magazine article because she was so inspired by the story that she now had what she described as two beautiful weeks of sobriety."

"Obviously," the subject of the article said, "what was important about me came through without my name and ego being involved. I had helped another person and remained anonymous. It was a joy I almost destroyed, however, as I made plans to answer the Canadiab lady personally. I was advised not to, of course, and how right that was.

"But still to this day," the subcommittee member concluded, "I have great satisfaction each time I re-member that an article about me, but hiding my iden-tity, obviously attracted attention and had positive re-sults. And each time I sense again the mysterious but powerful joy of anonymity."

Several committee members had other interesting stories to tell as a result of having revealed to individuals that they were alcoholics and/or members of A.A. One warned his dentist that he could not safely take certain medication because he was a recovering alcoholic. The dentist’s only response to this was to insist on payment in full before proceeding with his work. (Obviously though the right message was passed on it was greatly garbled at the receiving end.)

Another subcommittee member had quite the oppo-site response to a somewhat similar situation. His im-mediate boss had known since hiring him that he was a member of A.A. and active in service to such an extent that he wasn’t available for possible after-hours work certain evenings. When a serious "drinking problem" later occurred at a high executive level, the boss asked and, of course, received permission to tell the chairper-son that A.A. help was available in the company itself.

After meeting with the chairperson, the boss returned to report the chief executive’s response to the news there was an A.A. member on the staff. It was a most en-thusiastic "I knew there was something special about that guy."

Of course some of us reveal to others that we have done something about our drinking problem without saying a word about it. It just plain shows. Such was the touching story of the subcommittee member who told of a call one evening on his apartment housephone from the lobby attendant. The A.A. member had been living in this building for five years prior to joining A.A. and was now five years sober.

On the housephone the lobby attendant said rather hesitantly: "I don’t know exactly how to say this but you seemed to be having a problem a few years ago which you don’t have now. I hope you won’t be offended if I ask you if I’m right about that and, if I’m right, may I also ask what you did about it. We have a member of the staffhere who’s in trouble; maybe you can help."

Happy next step in this story is that, of course, the staff member was given help and the happy ending, so far anyway, is that some years later he’s still sober and a devoted member of A.A.

Just as significant, however, is another aspect to this story. This A.A.s anonymity was not broken even on a personal basis by words but simply by his being sober. It was the difference in his behavior and his looks that "gave him away." This was a case of a member carrying the message by being the message, not talking it at all. This he didn’t do until after he was asked for help.

As discussion continued, another subcommittee member reported that breaking anonymity in certain job situations can be a problem. A television producer, this recovering alcoholic volunteered to do the research for a proposed network telecast on alcoholism and drug addiction. When she quickly came up with material enough for a dozen telecasts, the production chief wanted to know how she became so smart so fast and she answered by disclosing, rather hesitantly, that she was a member of A.A.

"Wonderful," the boss responded, "we can look at this thing from the inside." The sound of this troubled the A.A. member but she was able to rationalize - and quite rightly so it would seem - that the cautions concerning breaking anonymity at the level of press, radio, TV and films means, for example, going on TV,

not working in it. And her job was simply to prepare

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the script, arrange for guests, etc., not to appear on the TV screen herself.

But as she went ahead with the job she found she could not be objective about the work or tolerate opin-ions about A.A. and alcoholism which differed from her own or the experience of others in the program. This led to heated, sometimes almost unpleasant and certainly unproductive arguments with the production boss.

To solve the problem the project had to be turned over to another producer, someone who had never before worked on a story about alcoholism and knew virtually nothing about the disease. As the A.A. member recalled it, however, the new producer was highly pro-fessional, learned fast and the eventual telecast was a success, "a first-rate piece of TV journalism that helped a lot of people." And to this she added: "I couldn’t have done it better myself."

Today this member is still a producer but no longer puts herself in the mainstream of preparations for or staging of telecasts on the subject of alcoholism. More co-workers than ever now know she is in A.A. but she offers her opinions and suggestions only when asked. "I don’t try anymore to make objective news reports about A.A. I’ve come to recognize there’s clearly just no way I can be objective about something that saved my life!"

Probably because they have each had different experi-ences with anonymity, the subcommittee members hold a wide difference of opinion as how best to approach the Fellowship on the subject. One point on which the subcommittee totally agrees, however, is that at the group level the most important of all levels in A.A. - there seems to be little or no time or talk of conse-quence devoted to anonymity and its importance to the program and to its individual members. Hence an initial plan of the subcommittee is to seek out and implement ways to create (as a beginning, anyway) "a little renewal of excitement" about anonymity and build from there.

As a beginning the subcommittee is hoping to gather a small library of stories from members about their experiences with anonymity: near-breaks, accidental breaks on the personal as well as the public level and the results of those revelations. Also hoped for are stories from members who have discovered the benefits of anonymity, the true joy that comes from passing the message on in a quiet and private way and the great glow of satisfaction that always follows giving without expecting anything even recognition in return.

Have an anonymity story to tell? A personal experi-ence on the subject you want to air? Write: P.I. Subcom-mittee on Anonymity, Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York, New York 10163. Committee members are looking forward to hearing from you. Soon. And often. They need your help. So, it appears, does anonymity.

G.S.O. Open House Cancelled for 1988

The Northeast region area delegates have recommended that the Annual Open House Day at G.S.O. be cancelled this year.

Every work day, the door at G.S.O. is open and A.A. visitors from around the world (over 1,000 last year) visit, tour the office and attend the Friday A.A. meeting. But, in addition, for many years there has been an Annual Open House Day each fall, where A.A.s, mostly from the Northeast region, come en masse usually 700 or better by bus, car and foot.

The recommendation to cancel the 1988 Open House was made at a luncheon meeting of Northeast regional delegates during Conference week. As a result, the General Service Office has cancelled the event. But dis-cussion of Open House’s purpose and format will con-tinue with an eye toward reviewing this decision in 1989.

In the meantime, if A.A.s from any area would like to plan a special bus excursion to visit G.S.O. they just need to let the staff know in advance. The welcome mat is always out and the coffeepot is always on.

Michael Alexander and Gordon Patrick

New General Service Board Officers

At the close of the 1988 Conference, Gordon Patrick rotated off of the General Service Board. Gordon has served A.A. for thirteen years - first as a Class A (nonalcoholic) trustee and for the past six years as chairperson of the board.

The new chairperson, approved by the board at their

meeting immediately following the close of the Confer-ence, is Michael Alexander. Mike, an attorney, is no stranger to A.A., having served as Class A trustee from 1976 to 1985. After rotating off the board in 1985, Mike was surprised to find he "had nothing to do on weekends. Coming back to the board is like coming home."

The Conference elected the two new regional trustees and one general service trustee. Donald B., of Southern Minnesota, will replace rotating Dan B. as West Central U.S. regional trustee; Phil C., from Manitoba, will be the new trustee from Western Canada, replacing Jack F.; Desmond T. will replace rotating Ralph R. as the general service trustee.

There are also two new directors: Hugh F., New York City, on the A.A.W.S. Board, and Fran P., of Spokane, Washington, will become a director of the Grapevine Corporate Board.

Applications for G.S.O. Staff Positions

Openings on the G.S.O. staff are anticipated in the next 18 months, and interested A.A. members with at least six years of sobriety are asked to send resumØs. A.A. service experience and communications skills will be considerations, in addition to the applicant’s willingness to relocate to New York. Please send education, employ-ment and A.A. service information to: Staff Coordinator, Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163.

Are We Being True To Our Traditions?

In 1950, at A.A.’s first International Convention in Cleve-land, several thousand members joyfully adopted the Twelve Traditions, declaring that they constituted "the platform upon which our Fellowship could best function and hold together in unitv for all time to come." Re-cently, however, a number of thoughtful A.A.s have questioned whether the Traditions are being under-mined as the result of disregard, apathy and ignorance of their integral importance to the very life of the Fellow-ship. Here are some of their comments.

"In the past couple of years, I have witnessed a growing lack of interest toward the Traditions," writes Dale K. "At a meeting held just before Christmas, for example, the chairperson asked for non-A.A. announce-ments - and someone stated (seriously) that a local bar in town was holding a dance. More recently, I

attended a meeting where a fairly new member had his jewelry displayed for sale. Additionally, some groups in the area think nothing of mixing A.A. literature with everything from union flyers to information concerning the chemical dependency unit at a local hospital."

When group problems arise, Dale notes, "I see the Twelfth Tradition being broken time and again. Per-sonalities are placed before principles and group discord invariably escalates. If I attempt to share my own experi-ence with the Traditions, I am told that I’m ’nit-picking.’ It scares me to think that we could go the way of the Oxford Group or the Washingtonians before them."

When a Tradition is invoked, Dale relates, its interpre-tation is likely to be skewed. "The Fourth Tradition states that, ’Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.’ That seems clear enough; yet the Tradition is being used to override any group problem. My concern is that, if we can use the Fourth Tradition to break the Sixth Tradition, or any other one we choose, then why bother to have eleven other Traditions?"

Hinda C. writes to share her concern over what appears to be a problem A.A. members are having in explaining our Fifth Tradition to treatment facilities. The Fifth Tradition states, "Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers." During the past several years, she relates, treatment facilities that rehabilitate both alco-holics and nonalcoholic drug addicts have sprung up. "The patients started showing up at A.A. meetings - introducing themselves as ’chemically dependent’. Then the comments started to change from problems with alcohol to remarks about ’snorting a few lines of coke’ or ’being wasted’ or ’dropping a few ’ludes.’

Along with some other alcoholics, Hinda says, she "has tried to keep our meetings within the guidelines of the Traditions. Yet some alcoholics in this area come to us from treatment centers where they are taught that alcoholism and drug addiction are one and the same. In fact, drug addicts are told that, even if they have never had a drink, they are still alcoholics."

"I am very concerned with the discord in our Fellow-ship today," says Hinda. "Unless alcoholics start to study and use the Traditions, I do not see how we can survive."

What do you think?

We Stand Corrected... Charlie B. of Baltimore, MD was quick to spot the error in our Holiday issue. Works Publishing was a name developed by Hank P., Bill W.’s partner in the initial publishing venture of the Big Book. Hank saw the First Edition as one of many such "works." Actually, Anne, co-founder Dr. Bob’s wife, said "Faith without works is dead."

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The Dialogue Continues Delegation of Soviets Visits U.S. and A.A.

On May 6 a Soviet delegation of eight people (two medical academicians, a narcologist, and five officers from the Temperance Promotion Society) visited G.S.O. in New York. The all-day visit was the last stop on the delegation’s 13-day tour of a variety of U.S. institutions - public and private - that are concerned with the treatment and prevention of alcoholism. They had not yet, during their busy cross-county trip, been formally introduced to the program of Alcoholics Anonymous, nor had they actually attended an A.A. meeting. But by the time they reached G.S.O., they had heard - at schools, detox units, psychiatric wards, large company Employee Assistance Programs - A.A. and its princi-ples repeatedly mentioned as an adjunct, no matter what the program.

The group consisted of six men and two women, all members of the All-Union Voluntary Temperance Prom-otion Society UPS), a two-year-old organization that claims 14.5 million voluntary members. They were here as part of a continuation of the American-Soviet Dialogue on Common Problems, sponsored by the Na-tional Council of World Affairs Organizations. G.S .O.’s general manager John B. participated in the first of the series of private exchanges, held in the Soviet Union in September 1987 (Box 4-5-9, Feb./Mar. 1988).

In order to visit as many installations as possible - from a treatment facility in California, to a Cleveland halfway house, to a Chicago prevention program the delegation had been split into three separate groups. Sarah P., G.S.O.’s staff member on the overseas assign-ment, and Don P. and Webb J., both Class B (alcoholic)

trustees, had each accompanied a group, as volunteers. A contingent of interpreters was on hand to give instant translations.

The joint meeting at G.S.O. opened with an overview of the Fellowship’s structure and operation - from the 43,000 individual groups to the General Service Board. After a short welcoming talk by the meeting’s chairper-son, Michael Alexander, a Class A (nonalcoholic) board member, a program of presentations and discussion followed. Don P., whose topic was "What A.A. is and What It Offers," told of the early days of A.A., how co-founders Bill W. and Dr. Bob made their "first con-quest" - a drunk in a hospital bed - weaving into his account details of his own drinking story. Next, Webb J. talked about "The A.A. Group - How It Works," telling of his own recovery in his home group, doing service work, attending open and closed meetings, celeb-rating anniversaries, sponsorship, how officers are elected in a system where each member is considered equal to any other member.

After each presentation, the Soviet visitors were quick to fire off a series of questions: "Why do you have closed meetings?" "Do A.A. members always speak so frankly about themselves?" "Are you as sincere with nonal-coholics?" Each question was answered, frequently bringing on more questions and more discussion.

Excerpts of the new film, "Young People and A.A. ," were then shown. As unidentified young people were heard telling their stories, some of the Soviet visitors were observed taking notes, and afterwards, one Soviet delegate called it "a very good film."

Sarah P. then told of A.A. activities worldwide, bring-ing out the specific A.A. principles of anonymity and group autonomy, both of which brought on more ques-tions from the Soviets: "How can each group be autono-mous, act by itself, and yet go to these conferences you hold? Isn’t that a contradiction?" "What is the purpose of these conferences?" The group, which had visited Al-Anon headquarters at a breakfast meeting earlier, wanted to know what connection existed between the two fellowships, and also, in what manner G.S.O. staff members were accountable to the A.A. board.

After these questions were answered and discussed, William E. Flynn, M.D., Class A (nonalcoholic) trustee, spoke on "A.A.: A Doctor’s Eye View." He told the Soviet visitors that more and more medical schools are now requiring their first-year students to attend at least one A.A. meeting. "What we’ve found is that students learned the most (about alcoholism) during that first night at an A.A. meeting." He said the medical profes-sion viewed A.A. "as the most important resource - bar none - in the fight against alcoholism," and that, in his private practice, he insisted that his patients with drinking problems "go to A.A. and continue to do so." Members of the delegation then asked which profes-sions, if any, demonstrated higher incidences of alcohol-ism, or whether different levels of education contributed to the disease, and to what extent physicians as a whole participated in antialcoholism campaigns.

What appeared to intrigue the Soviet visitors the most, centering around a point to which they came back again and again, was: "what is the mechanism of A.A.’s success?" In view of "A.A.’s phenomenal success," one of them asked, "is there any research on the psycho-physical mechanics of this success?" There had to be a "scientific" explanation, some thorough research con-ducted to resolve the mystery of A.A.’s success, he said. Over and over, questions of this sort were posed, answered, and at each step one or more principles of the Fellowship were explained.

Further discussion followed a presentation by Joan Jackson, Ph.D., Class A (nonalcoholic) trustee, who spoke on "How A.A. Cooperates With Treatment and Occupational Programs," and comments by the Grape-vine editor, Ann W.

The joint meeting adjourned to a reception and dinner at the Roosevelt Hotel, where Joe L., director of New York Intergroup, speaking of the city’s 3,261 weekly meetings, explained how a drunk, after making an initial phone call, can begin to take the first steps toward recovery by attending one of those meetings. The dele-gation then split into two groups to visit A.A. meetings, where they - earphones plugged in for a simultaneous translation gave the impression, as they listened to some typicalA.A. stories, of not missing a single word.

As stated earlier, the main thrust of the Soviet dele-gation and the union they represent, TPS, is in preven-tion and education. "But they’re clearly intrigued with

A.A. ," said Don P., after the final wrap-up session with the Soviets on May 7. "One of the things they might want to pursue is learning more about the A.A. princi-ples. Though they didn’t specify which ones, they think they can use some of them," he said.

What’s the next step? "The door is open now for further discussions at their request," said Don P.

Grapevine Discount Packages Useful in Service Work

The Grapevine now has three discount packages of special items that are particularly useful for individual groups and/or P.1., C.P.C., correctional facilities and treatment facilities committees.

L ANTA

� Display Package is ideal for group literature tables or for a Grapevine table at an A.A. event. Contains one copy each of Best of the Grapevine, Vols. I & II, Best Cartoons from the Grapevine, nine cassette tapes, co-founders’ memorial issues, A.A. Today, Best of Bill, Grapevine binder, and facsimile of first issue. Cost: $50 (a $36 saving). � Prison and Hospital Package is designed for A.A.s who sponsor meetings or groups in correctional facilities, hospitals, etc., and contains special items, including 50 back issues of the Grapevine that emphasize material for newcomers. Cost: $44 (a $17.50 saving). � Public Information Package is a collection of Grape-vine items that give an introduction to A.A. and its basic principles; designed for individuals, groups or P.I. and C.P.C. committees. Cost: $44 (a $17 saving).

Note to 4-5-9 Subscribers All subscriptions to Box 4-5-9 now have a subscription number (BX number) and problems regarding paid subscriptions can be more speedily investigated if the BX number is included in the correspondence. This number is located above your name on the mailing label.

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Have You Registered for the 1988 Central Office Seminar?

Central office/intergroup managers, steering committee chairpersons and others will convene in the Hyatt Re-gency/DFW Hotel at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport for the Third Central Office/Intergroup Seminar, November 4-6,1988.

The seminar will feature workshops and presenta-tions, all designed to widen communication and share experience, strength and hope regarding literature and other matters. Space limitations dictate that the seminar be limited to one representative from each office.

If you have not registered for the 1988 seminar and wish to, please write to: Central Office/Intergroup Semi-nar Coordinator, Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163. (Closing date for hotel reservations is October 3, 1988.)

Archives Preserves Past and Nourishes Our Spirit of Unity and Purpose

You will find no mention of the A.A. Archives in the Big Book or in Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, for the simple reason that it didn’t exist until many years after these books were published. However, in a letter dated 1957, A.A. co-founder Bill W. expressed concern for the preservation of original papers and artifacts. "We are trying," he wrote, "to build up extensive records which will be of value to a future historian . . . . It is highly important that the factual material be placed in our files in such a way that there can be no substantial distortion. We want to keep on enlarging on this idea for the sake of the full-length history to come. . .

Bill died in 1971. Two years later, on October 23, 1973, the trustees’ Archives Committee held its first meeting and set forth its reason for being: "to give the Fellowship a sense of its own past and the opportunity to study it; and to keep the record straight so that myth does not predominate over fact." Thus, besides provid-ing spiritual nourishment, the archives would foster understanding of the truth in the development of A.A. and so strengthen our unity.

Nell Wing, archivist from 1973 until her retirement in 1982, was the prime mover in setting up, organizing and overseeing the archives. A.A. groups were encour-aged to write their histories, earlytimers were asked to share their recollections of the early days of A.A., and

methods for preserving old documents were explored and implemented.

Says present archivist Frank M.: "Part of the preserva-tion process is concerned with maintaining documents in their original order. This is important to the meaning of each artifact since it affords the aspect of ’relation-ships’ how one document relates to another, revealing overall the process of evolution in thought or develop-ment as it has influenced the philosophy of A.A. In recent years, for example, a system has been designed to ensure the physical retention of important items from group files after they have been microfiched. Future historians will have the opportunity to see these originals."

Much A.A. history resides in the minds, hearts and personal files of earlytimers. "Sadly," says Frank, "many of them have left us and more will. Too often, they take with them untold tales of our Fellowship, not to mention the one-of-a-kind documents, pamphlets and books that pass with them." Consequently, he urges members to do a special kind of Twelfth Step work: share A.A. history with newcomers by contributing artifacts to your local archives; and, if you know any earlytimers - or are one yourself arrange contact with your local archives committee.

To help with this history-gathering activity, the Ar-chives Committee has prepared special materials: a flyer describing the importance of archival information; and stickers and bookmarks that remind, "Don’t throw me away, I belong to A.A." These are handy for identifying books and other memorabilia that members wish to hold onto but would like to leave to A.A. as a legacy.

The artifacts housed in the G.S.O. Archives include: Bill and Dr. Bob’s personal papers; early group histories; Alcoholic Foundation and G.S.O. corporate records; literature used by early A.A. members; and films and photographs of historic interest. Among the oral his-tories, written and taped, are almost all known Bill W. "talks."

Specially popular, says Frank, "is the scrapbook series of 16 bound volumes that trace world press views of the Fellowship in fascinating, often funny detail, from 1939 through 1961. Also, Lois W., Bill’s widow, has provided us with a personal scrapbook collection of high quality. Bill, Lois, Dr. Bob and his wife, Anne, are captured in very human activities and come alive for us."

Even as the archives preserves our past into the present, its custodians are ever mindful of the impor-tance of anonymity, which places principles before personalities and protects both the individual A.A. member and the Fellowship as a whole against exploi-tation from within or without. The Archives Committee early turned thumbs down on the use of VCRs. More-over, certain materials are classified as "personal, class-ified," such as Bill’s correspondence about his interests outside A.A., or "personal, confidential," including let-ters between Bill and Lois. When non-A.A. historians, sociologists, TV-media representatives and others seek

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access to archival records, their requests are screened by the committee on an individual basis.

Where There’s Smoke There’s Ire

From Reno, Nevada to Roanoke, Virginia, letters from irate A.A.s - those who smoke and those who don’t - have been pouring into the General Service Office like, well, smoke. Some express their frustration at being subjected to "smoke-filled" meeting rooms. Some up-hold their right to puff and object to group involvement in matters other than recovery from alcoholism, includ-ing smoking. Almost all seek guidelines on the problem from G.S.O. - and a surprising number share solutions that have worked for their groups.

Some correspondents ask the General Service Office to take a definitive, "puff-or-poof’ stand on what has become a burning issue. But A.A. is no magic dragon. The many responses from staff members point out that "there are no rules or regulations in A.A. - the group conscience speaks for itself" As with many other prob-lems that have surfaced through the years, groups are meeting this latest challenge in their own, often creative, ways.

Reflective of many commentaries is a letter from Betty B., of Carson City, Nevada: "My poor health no longer permits me to be in smoke-filled rooms. I am aware that we in the Fellowship should not refuse entry to anyone with an alcohol problem. Therefore, are the nonsmoking meetings I’ve heard about truly A.A.? I would like to start such a meeting but need guidance."

In response, a G.S.O. staff member assured Betty that so long as the group’s purpose continues to be an A.A. purpose - carrying the message to the alcoholic - meetings of this kind are "just fine." However, "difficul-ties do result when the group gives the impression that it has an opinion about smoking or has been formed for the purpose of quitting the habit. Basically, the only requirement for starting such a group applies to starting any A.A. group. Most members subscribe to the concept that two or more alcoholics meeting together for pur-poses of sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group provided that, as a group, they are self-supporting and have no outside affiliation."

Teresia K. of Old Orchard Beach, Maine, inquires, "If smokers are not asked to leave a meeting, but are asked to refrain from smoking, does that constitute either exclusivity or discrimination? Is a smoking or nonsmoking policy considered part of the format of a meeting? Where in the literature is this discussed?"

The G.S.O. response is that "nothing in the A.A. literature addresses a smoking or nonsmoking policy -

this is a group conscience decision, as is changing the format of a meeting. Importantly, we wish to give all newcomers the opportunity to recover from alcoholism, whatever their smoking preference. We aim to be as inclusive as we can, never exclusive."

Concern for newcomers motivated George S., of Southampton, New York, to write after a "no-smoking" ban was imposed on the church in which his group meets. "We immediately held a ’no-smoking’ meeting," he reports. "Half of the members walked out, three members quit the group and everyone was upset. I spoke to someone at our local Department of Health, who assured me that the New York State law applies only to public meeting places where public business is being conducted and does not apply to A.A. meetings. We are now back to normal, but I am still concerned about smokeless meetings. What of the newcomers who are told not only to stop drinking but to stop smoking as well? Getting them to a meeting is hard enough; once there, under an additional restriction, will they stay?"

Barbara G., of Miami Springs, Florida, shares her own experience on that point. "If you had told me not to smoke when, shaking and scared, I walked into my first meeting, you would have lost me." Barbara feels that A.A. should stick to our primary purpose and asks for guidelines from G.S.O. "I’m upset," she says. "Now it’s no smoking. Next it will be no caffeine! If the nonsmokers want smokeless meetings, why not let them create their own groups?"

Another request for guidelines comes from Collis H., of Rockford, Illinois. "I have visited A.A. groups in many parts of the United States," he says, "and wherever I go today, I find lung-saver meetings and no-smokers meet-ings - meetings that indicate the need for an awareness of the air we breathe." The Mustard Seed Group in Chicago has a very large meeting, he says, noting that the room is divided into "smoking" and "no-smoking" sections. "This appears to me to be a rather acceptable solution, one which I’d like to see implemented in Rockford. People often stay away from our central office because of the smoke-filled environment. If anything could be done to assist those who are unaware of the increasing restrictions on smoking in A.A. meetings all over the country, it would be beneficial to all concerned."

In reply, G.S.O. reiterated the need to obtain solutions to such matters through the group conscience. As Tra-dition Four clearly states, "Each group should be au-tonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole."

Bette M., of El Centro, California, agrees, observing that it’s not always simple. "Recently," she relates, "a member came down from another town; he went from meeting to meeting complaining about our smoking and using his union organizing tactics to change our ways. We have nonsmokers meetings but, to my know-ledge, he managed to avoid them in the short time he was here. Now petitions are being circulated to stop

H.

smoking at all our A.A. meetings - ignoring the fact that each group is autonomous."

"We are seeking serenity and peace through our Fellowship," Bette continues, "and it concerns me when someone deliberately comes into an area to stir up trouble. I came into A.A. in 1959. Now, I’m suddenly surrounded by people with all sorts of problems other than drinking. Which is all right, so long as they worry about their own problems and leave mine alone."

Writing in the Treasure Valley Intergroup News, Boise, Idaho, Brian H. proposes, "Why not try some live-and-let-live solutions? For example: permit smoking only on the windowed side of the meeting room, with fans to blow out the smoke? Or, designate a separate smoking room, with ’nicotine breaks’ in the meetings for those who want time out to puff? Let’s work together to find a solution that includes all of A.A. - both the smokers and nonsmokers. That’s unity."

A novel solution comes from Gilbert B., of Quebec City, Quebec. "In our large meeting room, we use a fluid called oil of cloves; even with close to 90 people present, many of them smokers, one has the feeling of being in a smokeless room. We simply put three drops of the oil on a ball of cotton wool, place this behind the curtains and, presto, the problem is solved. Since it’s a very concentrated product, we keep it in a small, covered jar between meetings to avoid burning or stain-ing anything."

Even syndicated advice columnist Ann Landers has gotten into the act. When an A.A. complained to her about smoky meeting rooms, she suggested: "If an air-cleaning machine is not affordable, several saucers of plain vinegar placed around the room will help absorb the smoke. Try it."

However, lest the smoking issue cloud our perspective on A.A.’s primary purpose, here’s a scenario to reflect upon: Recently a Midwestern A.A., concerned about the smokers at his group meeting, stated, "Those who smoke should not have any counseling or leadership positions. They should go back and redo Steps Four and Five until they can stop smoking. In the meantime, they should stay in the background; A.A. will survive without them." He might have been talking about many early-timers whose experience, strength and vision have made possible our recovery in A.A. today. In all probability, quite a number of them would be sitting in a group conscience meeting, puffing up a storm and saying, "Well, I know how I feel and you know how you feel. Now let’s keep principles above personalities and share so we can arrive at a consensus. What do you think?"

What do YOU think? G.S.O. welcomes letters sharing group approaches to the smoking issue - so let’s hear from you.

Jc4

Carrying the A.A. Message to Minorities

At the 1988 General Service Conference, the Committee on Cooperation With the Professional Community dis-cussed an A.A. initiative on carrying the message to the black community. The result was a Conference Advisory Action suggesting that the scope of the initiative be broadened to include all minorities, with emphasis on the black community.

A list of suggestions that was listed in the former P.I.IC.P.C. Bulletin, Fall 1981, will be used as guidelines, and a letter with these suggestions has been sent to all area P.I. and C.P.C. chairpersons. The list has also been included in the C.P.C. Workbook, along with an example of how a local A.A. committee responded to the sugges-tions. The Conference C.P.C. committee further sug-gested that the trustees’ C.P.C. Committee meet with the trustees’ Public Information Committee to discuss joint efforts for this initiative.

Suggested Initiatives

1. Train P.I./C.P.C. speakers of varying ages, races and backgrounds and notify the following of their availabil-ity: schools, colleges, churches and synagogues, special civic projects, regional youth centers, juvenile centers, senior citizen residences and centers, departments of senior citizen affairs and health fairs. 2. Offer A.A. help to police departments, courts, pro-bation officers, parole officers, sheriffs, jails, clergy and welfare departments. 3. Provide material for media, including: (a) news stories and announcements for newspapers, newslet-ters, and magazines directed to special groups, such as senior citizens, blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans; (b) TV and radio spots for all available stations. (Radio was emphasized as especially valuable - particularly sports programs, rock stations, etc.) 4. Offer A.A. help to local labor and management through their Employee Assistance Programs (EAP). 5. Contact and invite to open A.A. meetings all profes-sionals dealing with the minority population, including black clergy, community and private health care work-ers, treatment center personnel, senior citizen affairs personnel. 6. Distribute appropriate literature to all above men-tioned groups.

Carrying the Message Inside the Walls

see what is or is not being done and to encourage the establishment of correctional facilities committees in areas and districts where such activity is lacking.

With increased participation as the goal, the Confer -ence Correctional Facilities Committee suggested that the corresponding trustee’s committee expand the flyer "Carrying the Message Inside the Walls" to include information about the Institutions Correspondence Ser -vice and the rewards of serving on correctional facilities committees.

Committees serving correctional facilities and institu-tions can look forward to receiving two new pamphlets by the end of the year. As reported in the last issue of Box 4-5-9, the 38th General Service Conference recom-mended replacing the pamphlet "A.A. in Prisons" with two separate revisions of the material: a pamphlet for inmates and outside A.A.s interested in starting A.A. groups in correctional facilities; and a brief pamphlet or leaflet to provide information about A.A. to correc-tional facilities administrators. The Conference Com-mittee on Correctional Facilities met three times during the General Service Conference and also recommended that, because of possible misunderstanding about "pre-release sponsorship," the phrase be replaced by "A.A. contact" in A.A. literature and communications about inmates who will soon be released.

In addition to the above recommendations, there were other considerations by the Conference Committee on Correctional Facilities. The committee discussed the feasibility of distributing audio tapes of A.A. stories to inmates and suggested that A.A.s carrying the message to inside groups be advised of the usefulness of tapes of A.A. talks (especially stories from present and former inmates) as a tool in reaching inmates with literacy problems.

Since many committees serving correctional facilities appear to have difficulty obtaining funds for literature, the Conference Committee on Correctional Facilities discussed ways local committees might become self-supporting. It was suggested that experience and infor-mation about ways such committees are funded be compiled during the next year in order to share this information at the 1989 General Service Conference and with the Fellowship as a whole. If you are serving on a correctional facilities committee, please let us know how you obtain funds for A.A. literature. Write to: Correctional Facilities Secretary, Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163.

After agreeing that self-support means people serving as well as financial contributions, the Conference Com-mittee discussed ways to increase the Fellowship’s awareness of the activities of correctional facilities com-mittees and ways to encourage A.A.s to carry the mes-sage inside the walls. The committee challenged every General Service delegate to return to his or her area to

ieaunen �1. �

New Tools for Carrying the Message Into Treatment Facilities

The first copy of the new Treatment Facilities Newsletter has been mailed to all treatment facilities and hospital and institutions committee chairpersons. This newslet-ter results from an Advisory Action by the 1988 Confer-ence Committee on Treatment Facilities and is designed to help A.A.s who carry the message into treatment facilities by sharing experience from the Fellowship on how other areas handle problems such as the influx of nonalcoholics sent to A.A. meetings by treatment facilities. The letter further shares experience on where to find answers in A.A. literature and service pieces.

Since the letter is to be sent quarterly, the General Service Office is looking forward to input and sharing on all treatment facilities issues. We need all the ideas we can get on how to cooperate, while also conveying our singleness of purpose in a loving fashion.

The Conference also recommended a film be pro-duced for treatment facilities, explaining what A.A. is and is not. Three minutes of sample footage will be made for viewing by the 1989 General Service Confer-ence. This film will be an adjunct to A.A.s carrying the message into treatment facilities.

10

U4 () BULLETIN BOARD Items and Ideas on Area Gatherings for A.A.s - Via G.S.O. AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 1988

Calendar of Events

Auast

3-8 - Baltimore, Maiylarid, International Doctors Annual Meeting. Write: Sec., 1950 Volney Rd., Youngstown, OH 44511

5-7 - Hot Springs, Arkansas. 48th "Old Grandad" Cony. Write: Yr., 5 Kings High-way, Eureka Springs, AR 72632

5-7 - New Haven, Connecticut. Fifth Walk-the-Walk Round-up (presented by gay men and lesbians). Write: Ch., Box 1389, New Haven, CT 06505

5-7 - Hamilton, New York. Second Annual N.Y. State Conf. of Young People. Write: Ch., Box 5211, Utica, NY 13505

5-7 -Jamestown, New York. Ninth Annual State Info Workshops. Write: Ch., Box 3134, Jamestown, NY 14701

5-7 - College Station, Texas. Fifth Annual Bryan/College Station Cony. Write: Ch., Box 9472, College Sta., TX 77840

5-7 - Colville, Washington. Annual Colville Campout. Write: Ch., Box 545, Colville, WA 99114

5-7 - Blind River, Ontario, Canada. Native American Conf, Write: Tr., General Deliv-ery, Blind River, ON POP 1BO

5-7-Guelph, Ontario, Canada. 19th Annual Cent. West Ont. Cony. Write: Ch., 203-245 Westwood Rd., Guelph, ON NiH 7F15

5-7 - Goulais River, Ontario, Canada. Al-goma Dist. Campout. Write: Ch., Box 1298, fault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 6N1

6-7 - Ft. Morgan, Colorado. Mini-Wknd. Write: Ch., Box 1063, Ft. Morgan, CO 80701

6-7 - Barrhead, Alberta, Canada. Dist #9 Round-Up. Write: Ch., Box 772, Barrhead, AB TOG OEO

5-7 - Squamish, British Columbia, Canada. 16th Annual Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 2516, Squamish, BC VON 3G0

11-14 - Omaha, Nebraska. Cornhusker Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 425, Bellevue, NE 68005

12-13 - Granby, Quebec, Canada. 10th An-nual Cony. Write: Ch., Box 222, Granby, PQJ2G 8E4

12-14 - Los Angeles, California. Round-Up. Write: Ch., 4416 Fulton Ave., Apt. 9, Sher-man Oaks, CA 91423

12-14 - Clearwater Beach, Florida. 14th Annual Luau. Write: Ch., 8340 Ulmerton Rd., Largo, FL 34641

12-14 - Boise, Idaho. Treasure Valley Shin- dig. Write: Ch., Box 263, Boise, ID 83701

12-14 - Peoria, Illinois. State Conf. Write: Ch., Box 241, Morton, IL 61550

12-14 - Flint, Michigan. 36th State Confer-ence. Write: Ch., Box 5732, Saginaw, MI 48603

12-14-St. Peter, Minnesota. Southern Minn.

40th Anniv. Write: Ch., Box 339, Annan-dale, MN 55302

12-14 -Dallas, Texas. 17th Lone Star Roun-dup. Write: Ch., Box 835112, Richardson, TX 75083-5112

12-14 - Evanston, Wyoming. Summer As-sembly. Write: Ch., Box 1263, Evanston, WY 82930

12-14 - Camrose, Alberta, Canada. 38th Annual Area 78 Cony. Write: Ch., Box 1387, Camrose, AB T4V 1X3

12-14 -Houston, British Columbia, Canada. Round-Up. Write: Ch., Box 1145, Houston, BC VOJ 1ZO

12-14 - Tulameen, British Columbia, Canada. Camp-Out. Write: Ch., Box 1396, Princeton, BC VOX 1WO

12-14 - Ucluelet-Tofino, British Columbia, Canada. Fourth West Coast Rally. Write: Sec., Box 15, Ucluelet, BC VOR 3A0

12-14 - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Area Round-Up. Write: Ch., Box 206, Osgoode, ON KOG 1J0

13-14 - Grenfell, Saskatchewan, Canada. Annual Round-Up. Write: Ch., Box 68, Grenfell, SK SOG 2130

12-14 - Chattanooga, Tennessee. First An-nual Roundup. Write: Ch., P.O. Box 17052, Chattanooga, TN 37415

14-16 - Tama,Japan. 18th Annual Far East Round-Up. Write: Ch., 401 Minato Apt. IchibanKan, 1-38 Nishi Hemi, Yokosuka, Kanagawa Ken, Japan.

17-20 - Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 44th S.E. Conf. &e 41st State Cony. Write: Ch., Box 18412, Raleigh, NC 27619

18-21 - Halfa.r, Nova Scotia, Canada. First National Cony. Write: Ch., Box 1988, Halifax, NS B3J 3M9

19-21 - Prescott, Arizona. Third Shoestring Round-Up. Write: Ch., 3170 Shalom, Pres-cott, AZ 86301

19-21 - Meeker, Colorado. White River Campout. Write: Ch., Box 1036, Meeker,

Date of event: from to

Name of event: Place (city, state

or prov.):

For information, write: exact mailing address)

Contact phone # (for office use only)

CO 81641 19-21 -Jackson, Mississippi. Second Annual

Old Timers Round-up. Write: Ch., Box 20664, Jackson, MS 39209-1664

19-21 - Dayton, Ohio. Young Peoples Conf. Write: OYPAA, Box 2351, Dayton, OH 45401

19-21 -Newberg, Oregon. Yamhill Co. Inter-group Campout. Write: Ch., 13320 Fox-ridge Rd., McMinnville, OR 97128

19-21 - Beaumont, Texas. Ninth District Conf. Write: Ch., 6810 Prutgman, Apt. 52, Beaumont, TX 77706

19-21 - CraftsburTy, Vermont. First Green Mt. Young People’s Conf. Write: Ch., 174 Berlin St., Montpelier, VT 05602

19-21 - Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada. 11th Annual Round-Up. Write: Ch., 208 Van Home St. N, Cranbrook, BC V1C 1P4

19-21 - Tiel, Netherlands. Second Annual Round-Up - Intergroup I Europe. Write: Ch., Box 87959, 2508 DJ The Hague, Netherlands

23-25 - Wernersville, Pennsylvania. Third Annual Reading Area Conf. Write: Ch., Box 8301, Reading, PA 19603

24 - Brussels, Belgium. 35th Ann. In Bel-gium. Write: Ch., Rue Du Boulet 13, 1000 Brussels, Belgium

26-28 - Oakhurst, California. Third Annual Mini-Conf. Write: Ch., Box 23, Oakhurst, CA 93644

26-28 - Glendive, Montana. Sixth Annual Soberfest. Write: Ch., Box 643, Glendive, MT 59330

26-28 - Chautauqua, New York. Tri-State Canadian Assembly. Write: Ch., 310 Over-brook Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15210

26-28 - Cincinnati, Ohio. Sixth Ohio Round-up (Gay Fe Lesbian). Write: Ch., Box 15042, Cincinnati, OH 45215-0042

26-28 - Williamsburg, Virginia. 39th State Cony. Write: Ch., Box 7340, Hampton, VA

Planning an October, November or December Event?

Please send your information on October, November or December events, two days or more, in time to reach G.S.O. by August 10, the calendar deadline for the October/November issue of Box 4-5-9.

For your convenience and ours - please type or print the information to be listed on the Bulletin Board page, and mail to us:

19

Flip up this end of page more events listed on reverse side

August (cont.)

23666 26-28 - Hobuck Beach Park, Washington.

Neah Bay Campout. Write: Ch., 24414-38th Ave. Ct. E., Spanaway, WA 98387

26-28 - Green Lake, Wisconsin. Eighth An-nual Round-up. Write: Ch., 408 N. 8th Ave., West Bend, WI 53095

26-28 - Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. Roun-dup. Write: Ch., 204-31 Oxford Ave., Red Deer, AB T4P 2H7

26-28 - Dryden, Ontario, Canada. 11th Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 134, Dryden, ON P8N 2Y7

26-28 - Stirling, Ontario, Canada. 12 Step Weekend. Write: Ch., KR #2, Frankford, ON KOK CO

27-28 - Milk River, Alberta, Canada. Inter-national Family Affair. Write: Ch., Box 492, Milk River, AB TOK IMO

28-29 -Joplin, Missouri. Summer Hummer. Write: Ch., Box 2075, Joplin, MO 64803

September

2-4 - Colorado Springs, Colorado. Area Cony. Write: Ch., Box 9413, Colorado Springs, CO 80932

2-4 - St. Louis, Missouri. Fall Classics Cony. Write: Ch., 6662 Sutherland, St. Louis, MO 63109

2-4 - Abilene, Texas. Seventh Big Country ConS. Write: Ch., 2850 Southwest Drive, Abilene, TX 79605

2-4 - Chapleau, Ontario, Canada. 21st An-nual Roundup. Write: Sec., Box 634, Chap-lean, ON POM 1KO

2-4 - Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. 23rd Annual Round-Up. Write: Ch., Box 524, Penticton, BC, V2A 7E5

2-5 - Tampa, Florida. Second Annual Tampa Bay Round-Up. Write: Ch., Box 270845, Tampa, FL 33688

2-5 - Broken Bow, Nebraska. Campout. Write: Ch., 316 South 11th, Broken Bow, NE 68822

2-5 - Nashville, Tennessee. 31st ICYPAA. Write: Ch., Box 110771, Nashville, TN 37222-0771

3-5 - Powell River, British Columbia, Canada. 41st Rally. Write: Ch., 5224 Chil-cotin St., Powell River, BC V8A 4H7

8-I1 Alliston, Ontario, Canada. Fourth Annual Big Book Seminar. Write: Ch., Box 4535, Sta. C., London, ON N5W 5J5

9-11 - San Diego, California. Roundup (sponsored by gays and lesbians). Write: Ch., Box 3999, San Diego, CA 92103

9-11 - Stamford, Connecticut. 30th State Cony. Write: Ch., 8 Highland Ave., Row-ayton, CT 06853

9-11 - Many, Louisiana. Torn Hills Conf. Write: Ch., St. Rt. 2 Box 33, Deridder, LA 70634

9-11 - Dunnville, Ontario, Canada. 22nd Cony. Wreite: Ch., Box 163, Dunnville, ON N1A 2X6

9-11 - Kenora, Ontario, Canada. 17th An-nual Sunset Round-Up. Write: Ch., Box 68, Kenora, ON P9N 3X1

16-18 - Bull Shoals, Arkansas. Autumn Conf. Write; Ch., Box 516, Bull Shoals, AR 72619

16-18 Tampa, Florida. Big Book Wknd. Write: Ch., 3202 Colwell Ave., 202, Tampa, FL 33614-8310

16-18 - Lenox, Massachusetts. Back To Ba-sics Wknd. Write: Ch., Eastover, Lenox, MA 01240

16-18 Dickinson, North Dakota. State Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 521, Dickinson, ND 58602-0521

16-18 - St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Third Annual Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 960, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, 00801

22-25 - West Sacramento, California. Third Annual Big Book Seminar. Write: Ch., Box 223, Fair Oaks, CA 95628

23-25 - Columbus, Indiana. 17th Annual Southeastern Ind. Conf. Write: Ch., Box 441, Columbus, IN 47202

23-25 - Eureka, Missouri. Ozark Agape. Write: Ch., 13240 Conchero, St. Louis, MO 63141

23-25 - Columbus, Ohio. Second Annual Area 53 Conf. Write: Ch., Box 19814, Col-umbus, OH 43219

23-25 - Arlington, Texas. 25th NETA Fall Assembly 4 Cony. Write: Ch., Box 13263, Arlington, TX 76094-0263

23-25 -Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Round-Up. Write: Ch., Box 522, Hamilton, ON L8N 3H8

23-25 - Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. East-ern Canada Regional Forum. Write: Reg-ional Forum Coordinator, Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163

23-25 - Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada. 27th Annual Round-Up. Write: Ch., Box 1848, Swift Current, SK S9H 4M6

30-Oct. 2 - Wichita, Kansas. State ConS. Write: Ch., Box 1895, Wichita, KS 67202

30-Oct. 2 Dearborn, Michigan. First An-nual Tr-County ConS. Write: Ch., Box 7036, Dearborn, MI 48121

30-Oct. 2 - Somerset, New Jersey. 32nd An-nual Area 44 Cony. Write: Ch., 71B Elmwood Terrace, Elmwood Park, NJ 07407

30-Oct. 2 - Poughkeepsie, New York. 37th Hudson-Mohawk-Berkshire Area Cony. Write: Ch., Box 3635, Arlington Station, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603

October

7-9 - Montego Bay, Jamaica, W.L. Sixth Annual Discovery Weekend. Write: Ch., Box 138, Reading Post Office, Montego Bay, Jamaica, W.I.

7-9 - Montgomery, Alabama. Alabama Northwest Florida Area Assembly. Write: Ch., Box 761, Panama City, FL 32402

7-9 - Bakersfield, California. 37th Annual Southern California Cony. Write: Sec., 760 N. Golden Springs, Unit E, Diamond Bar, CA 91765

7-9 - Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Area Assembly Bus Trip. Write: Ch., Box 3611, Bellevue, WA 98009-3611

7-9 - Sioux City, Iowa. State Fall Conf. Write: Ch., Box 1532, Sioux City, Iowa 51102

7-9 - Lafayette, Louisiana. Fifth Annual Cajun Country Conf. Write: Ch., Box 3160, Lafayette, LA 70502

7-9 - Monroe, Louisiana. First Annual Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 14832, Monroe, LA 71207

7-9 - Mackinac Island, Michigan. Mackinac Island Weekend. Write: Ch., 302 S. Wav-erly Road, Lansing, MI 48917

7-9 - Brainerd, Minnesota. Third Minnesota Big Book Seminar. Write: Ch., Box 103, Wayzata, MN 55391

7-9 - Bozeman, Montana. State Round-Up. Write: Ch., 104 W. Main, Bozeman, MT 59715

7-9 - Rochester, New York. Eighth Annual Cony. Write: Ch., 10 Manhatten Square Drive, Rochester, NY 14607

7-9 - Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. 24th Nova Scotia, Nfld. & Lab. Assembly. Write: Ch., 39 Cottage Court, Sydney, NS B1P 6S2

7-9 - North Bay, Ontario, Canada. 33rd Northeastern Ontario Conf. Write: Ch., Box 1165, North Bay, ON FiB 8K3

14-16 -Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 37th Annual Southern Wisconsin Fall Conf. Write: Tr., 6159 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53110

14-16 -Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Fall Cony. Write: Ch., Box 2159, Jackson Hole, WY 83001

20-23 - Waikiki, Hawaii. 27th Annual Conf. Write: Ch., Box 23434, Honolulu, HI 96822

21-23 - Boise, Idaho. Area Assembly. Write: Ch., 10487 Overland Rd., Suite 187, Boise, ID 83709

21-23 - St. Cloud, Minnesota. Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 125, St. Cloud, MN 56302

21-23 - Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. Western Canada Regional Forum. Write: Regional Forum Coordinator, Box 459, Grand Cen-tral Station, New York, NY 10163

28-30 - Orlando, Florida. Celebrate Sobriety II. Write: Ch., 4912 Sun Ray Drive, Or-lando, FL 32808

28-30 - London, Ontario, Canada. 35th Annual Western Ontario Cony. Write: Ch., Box 725, London, ON N6A 4Y8